PULSE A CENTURY OF CARING FOR OUR DEAREST.

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles started out as a four-room hospital - the first in the state ever dedicated just to children - and has grown into a facility that treats 250,000 children a year, all the while helping to make major advancements in children's care.

This year, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

``In Southern California, we are certainly one of the longer-standing social organizations,'' said Bill Noce, president and CEO of the hospital. ``I think it's because there was a vision. The leaders knew what they needed, what they wanted for the community - a place where children could be specifically taken care of.''

In 1895, the King's Daughters, a social-services organization, set up a nursery. In 1900, they decided to expand their care and called a city meeting to discuss a new children's hospital. That first meeting saw the formation of a board of directors. It would be only one year before the hospital opened in a donated house. During its first year, 14 patients were admitted.

Growth over the past 100 years has been constant. Now the hospital has 33 specialty outpatient clinics and handles 250,000 patients a year. It also is responsible for fundamental advances in children's medicine, including transplants, biological modifiers used in post-transplant therapy, tests for genetic diseases and the treatment of children with cancer.

In raising funds, the hospital has many helpers. The Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Foundation not only supports day-to-day operations, but its donors have allowed the hospital to expand facilities, research and programs.

For fund-raising motivation, the hospital need look no further than 15- year-old Daniella Fortuna, who, after being treated at the hospital, has become a young ambassador traveling all over Southern California and the country telling her story and touting the hospital.

Daniella was born with a birth mark, a discoloration that covered half her face. Doctors had said there was nothing they could do for her. Then one day while she was playing at her home, a man approached the family and asked about the mark. The man was Dr. John Reinisch, a specialist in plastic reconstructive surgery at Childrens Hospital.

``We couldn't have fallen into better hands,'' said Christina Fortuna, Daniella's mother. ``It was a special miracle for our family.''

Seven operations later, Daniella's procedures are almost done, and she looks great. Not only did she get rid of her birth mark, but the young woman - who, according to her mother, always had an outgoing personality - has become a spokeswoman.

``I always had confidence in my doctor,'' said Daniella, who lives with her family in Sherman Oaks. ``I had seven surgeries, and I was never scared.''

- Jennifer Errico

FITS IN ANY PURSE: Any woman who's been pregnant can attest that there are a million thoughts rapid-firing through that prenatal brain - everything from bottle nipple shapes and middle names to how to convince Mom that you won't need her to stay that long after the birth.

All that can get in the way of the basics, like baby growth, body changes and emergency medical information. Yes, it's still good to refer to a primer such as ``What to Expect When You're Expecting,'' but Dr. Lisa Masterson, a Santa Monica obstetrician, decided her patients could use something simpler and more portable as well. So she compiled ``Having Your Baby,'' a small kit in a CD-sized case that includes a month-by-month overview of what's happening to the typical mom and baby, as well as exercise and diet guidelines, reminders about pediatrician choices and hospital tours, and warning signs that require a doctor's attention.

There is a card on which the mother can record dates of lab tests and their results. And it has the one thing pregnant women seem to crave more than weird food combinations - the cardboard wheel her doctor uses to determine the baby's current gestational age and size. That alone may justify its $20 price tag. The ``Having Your Baby'' kit is available by calling [phone].

- Valerie Kuklenski

THIS WON'T HURT A BIT: It's a little easier to cope with when it's your teddy bear that needs a doctor's TLC.

West Hills Hospital and the West Hills Optimist Club will hold a Teddy Bear Clinic on Tuesday at the hospital. First graders from Justice Street and Nevada Avenue schools will bring their favorite stuffed animal or doll to the hospital for a doctor's check-up. Volunteer doctors and nurses will administer ``exams'' and ``medical aid'' (such as stitching up holes or replacing missing eyes.

The aim is to familiarize children with the hospital, the emergency room and hospital personnel in a friendly educational manner, in hopes that the experience will help prepare them in case they ever need to visit the hospital's emergency room.

West Hills Hospital is located at 7300 Medical Center Drive, West Hills.

- Evan Henerson

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4 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 3) Formally incorporated in 1901, Childrens Hospital started as a four-room facility, admitting 14 patients its first year. The hospital celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and treats 250,000 annually.

(4) no caption (``Having Your Baby'' kit)